Man's Main Needs
by The Lady of the Willows
Summary: A day in the life of Alanna and Thom should Alanna have been trained as a lady and Thom as a knight. :::Complete:::


Man's Main Needs  
  
"What are a man's three main needs, anyone?" a man asked a group of children who were gathered in front of him in chairs, listening tentatively. The children, who were all boys, ranged from the ages of twelve to sixteen.  
  
"Love" one boy said.  
  
"Food" another said.  
  
"Water" a blond boy added.  
  
"And?" the man prompted. His name was Sir Myles of Olau.  
  
"Power?" ventured one of the younger children.  
  
"Not quite." Sir Myles said.  
  
"Love?" another boy said.  
  
"Yes, we got love already." the teacher said.  
  
"Oh," replied the boy looked down.  
  
"Women?" one of the older students ventured. It was rewarded with muffled laughter.  
  
"That would fall under love," the teacher said patiently.  
  
"Security?"  
  
"Almost," Sir Myles said.  
  
"Survival," one of the smarter students said, quietly.  
  
"Exactly, Thom. Love, food and survival. Those are the three main things a man strives for in his life. Why?" the teacher asked.  
  
"Love, because then he has someone to take care of, and to take care of him."  
  
"Food, because without food we'd die"  
  
"And?" Sir Myles of Olau asked.  
  
"Survival, it's man's barest instinct. Everything in the world revolves around the human instinct to survive, to stay alive. Even the other two needs fall in with it. No man wants to die. It's not just human's, either. Animals, like cats and dogs, and even fish," said Thom of Trebond.  
  
"I couldn't have said it better myself" Sir Myles of Olau said with a smile, "Now, someone said power. Why?"  
  
"Because everyone wants to be powerful" someone said.  
  
"True. But why does everyone want to be powerful?" the teacher asked. The boys all looked thoughtful. A few opened their mouths, as if to speak, but closed them quickly. After a few moments, Thom spoke again.  
  
"It goes with the need to survive. It's like the food chain, the one's at the top live longer. The ones at the bottom just get eaten. The higher your status, or the higher you are on the food chain, the safer you are. Like if you were a wolf, you would feel much safer then if you were a rabbit." he said. The other boys stared at him, the younger ones in admiration, the older ones with jealousy.  
  
"So should a king feel completely safe, then? If he is at the top of the heirarchy?" Master Sir Myles of Olau asked.  
  
"No" several boys said.  
  
"Why not?" the teacher asked. He recieve more blank stares, until Thom spoke up again.  
  
"Because humans all want to be powerful, so unless the king is an extremely good king, then the rest of the world is bound to be jealous, and want that power for themselves. A person is only powerful when his underlings are happy. Otherwise, they risk mutiny." he said. Sir Myles of Olau nodded.  
  
"Then what makes a good king?" he asked.  
  
"Someone who inspires loyalty, and someone who can keep everyone content, at least." Thom said.  
  
"Very good. Does everyone else agree?" the teacher asked. The rest of the boys nodded, "Alright, I want everyone to write a thousand words on either loyalty, leadership or mutiny, by next class. You are dismissed."  
  
The boys all rose and filed out of the classroom, discussing either the assignment, or last night's ball. Master Sir Myles of Olau gathered his bag and turned, to see someone standing in the doorway.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
"At a formal dinner, how must one sit?" a woman asked a group of girls who sat in front of her.  
  
"Backs straight," one girl said.  
  
"Shoulders back," another said.  
  
"Good, and legs?" the woman, Lady Lady Jacina of Golden Lake asked.  
  
"Crossed and kept closed," a girl answered. Lady Jacina of Golden Lake nodded.  
  
"And you should make conversation with your peers. What about?" the lady asked.  
  
"Politics," a red-haired girl said. Lady Lady Jacina of Golden Lake frowned.  
  
"No, Alanna, a woman should not concern herself with such things. No man wants to marry a woman smarter then he is.," she said patiently. Alanna sighed and slouched back into her chair. The lady glared at her and she sat up straight once more, biting her lip to hold back a nasty retort.  
  
"Weather?" one girl said. Lady Jacina of Golden Lake nodded.  
  
"That's a good one. Fashion, maybe, or court gossip are good too." the lady said, "Now, say for some reason someone asks you your opinion on, say, the current court battle between Lord Stone Mountain and Lord Faraday. What do you say?"  
  
"Lord Faraday is right. The Lady Cellina has the right to marry whomever she pleases, even without her father, Lord Stone Mountain's, consent. If Lord Faraday and Lady Cellina are in love, then they should marry, whether Lord Stone Mountain likes Lord Faraday or not. As to the land claim, I'm sure Lord Faraday, who has enough of land of his own, could do without Lady Cellina's dowry, and that he'd be willing to marry her all the same. Therefore Lord Stone Mountain could save the land as his younger daughter's dowry." Alanna looked at her teacher, to see that Lady Lady Jacina of Golden Lake was glaring at her.  
  
"First of all, Alanna, it is not a woman's place to decide who she marries, but her father's, or closest male relative's. Secondly, were someone to ask you a question like that, you do not express your opinion. You must remember that you are a lady, Alanna," Lady Jacina of Golden Lake said. Alanna made a face.  
  
"Why do women bow to what men want?" she asked, bitterly.  
  
"Because that's the way things are done." Lady Lady Jacina of Golden Lake said frankly. Alanna sighed. The lady continued on with her lesson.  
  
"The correct thing to respond would be to say something like 'Oh, I don't know, my husband thinks...' or simply 'I really don't know..'" Lady Jacina of Golden Lake said. She looked over at Alanna, wondering if the strong- minded girl was going to express her opinion about that, too. But Alanna said nothing. It was her actions that made the lady glare this time. Alanna of Trebond was purposefully slouched in her chair with her legs open, looking bored.  
  
"Alanna! Sit up straight, and close your legs! What, do you want people to think you're some kind of low life whore?" Lady Jacina of Golden Lake scolded. Alanna glared at her, but did as she was told.  
  
"A lady doesn't glare" Lady Jacina of Golden Lake chided. Alanna stared at her.  
  
"But you were just-" she protested.  
  
"Enough. We're moving on" Lady Jacina of Golden Lake cut her off, "Now, where were we? Oh, yes. A lady never finishes her plate of food, either. You want to eat enough so that you look well fed, but not so much that you get fat."  
  
"What if you're hungry? Or it's your favorite meal?" one girl asked.  
  
"You still should not finish it. It makes you look like a pig. Another thing. A lady of class always keeps herself well groomed. A couple of you have the blessing of being pretty. For the rest of you... all you can hope is that if you at least look clean that some man might want to marry you. Or that your fathers can put together a large dowry." Lady Jacina of Golden Lake said, "Well, that concludes today's lesson. I want you all to think about what we've learned today. You are dismissed." The girls all rose in a practice, graceful motion, and filed out of the class quietly.  
  
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Lady Jacina of Golden Lake smiled half heartedly at Master Sir Myles of Olau. He grinned back.  
  
"The young lord..." he started with admiration.  
  
"The young lady..." she started in frustration.  
  
"He's smart, and knows exactly what's expected of him in the future. He's going to make a excellent lord" Sir Myles of Olau said.  
  
Lady Jacina of Golden Lake nodded. "She's smart, and refuses to see her place in the world. She's going to make a terrible wife," she said.  
  
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I was trying to do something on what a day in Alanna's and Thom's life would have been like if Alanna were trained as a lady and Thom as a knight. 


End file.
